Top construction



Jan. 11, 190:. 1,656,719

P. E. BRENEMAN TOP CONSTRUCTIDN Filed March 17. 1926 I NV ENTOR 001.5520mm ATTOR N EYE;

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Patented Jan. 17, 1928.

PAUL E. BRENEMAN, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN,

PORATION, OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, A

ASSIGNOR TO THE STUDEBAKER COR- CORPQRATION OF NEW JERSEY.

T01 CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed March 17. 1926. Serial No. 95,318.

This invention relates to vehicle bodies of the closed type andparticularly to the construction of the tops thereof, the principalobject being to provide a new and novel construction therefor which willbe simple in construction, light in weight and economical tomanufacture, particularly in quantities.

Another object is to provide a top of the permanent type with side railsconstructed of sheet metal to embody frame members and shaping members.

Another object is to provide a side rail for a vehicle to of thepermanent type composed of a s eet metal frame member having a door stopportion produced during the forming of said frame member, and acovedsheet metal shaping member, both of said members being securedtogether along their outer edges to form a longitudinal drip trough.

A further object is to body with a top which will be constructed chieflyof hollow metallic side rails, wooden tacking pieces, sheet metal crossbows, and front and rear cross members.

These, being among the objects of the press invention, the same consistsof certain featuresof construction and combinations of parts to behereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawing, andthen claimed, having the above and other objects in view.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates a suitable embodiment ofthe present invention, and in which like numerals referto like partsthroughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a closed vehicle body,showing a top therefor, embodying the features of the present invention,secured thereon.

Figure 2 isan enlarged perspective sectional View of one of the siderails of the present invention, taken transversely therethrough adjacentone of the top cross bows.

provide a vehicle Figure 3 is a section of the side rail of Figure 2taken longitudinally through one of the cross bows, showing the methodof securing the same to the side rails.

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional perspective view of a modification ofthe side rail of Figure 2, taken adjacent one of the cross bows.

of the permanent type tour may Figure 5 is a sectional view of the siderail of Figure 4. taken transversely therethrough and longitudinall Ythrough one of the cross bows, showing t e method of securing the sameto the side rail.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of one of the cross bows attachingmembers used in conncction with the side rail of Figure 4. g

The top, in general, as best illustrated in Figure 1, is built up insuch a manner as to embody a pair of longitudinal side rails 10, aplurality of cross bows 11 holding the side rails 10 in spacedrelationship, a front cross member 12 and a rear cross member 13, all ofwhich are first preferably assembled to make up the top structure andthen are attached to the vehicle body as a unit. This unitary structureis supported by and attached to the bod rear quarter panel 14 and bodyposts or pi lars 15 by bolts or any of the other conventional fasteningmethods.

Referring now to the rail construction shown in Figures 2 and 3, it willbe noted that a portion of each side rail 10, which will be referred toin the following description as longitudinal frame member 16, providesthe support for the top structure on the panel 14 and illars 15 justmentioned. This frame mem er 16 regardless of its irregular eonbe veryeconomically and easily produce by stamping it in one or more operationsfrom a single sheet of metal. It is formed to provide a substantiallyhorizontal portion 17, the outer marginal edge thereof being turnedupwardly to form a flange 18, and the opposite edge of the portion 17extending downwardly a short distance and then being bent "on itself inspaced relation 0 to form the downwardly extending door sto 19 for theupper edge of the door which is adapted to co-act therewith, the bentback portion 20 continuing u wardly well' above the portion 17 and thenbeing bent horizontally inwardly to form an abutment 29, the marginaledge of which is bent downwardly to form the vertically disposed flangeportion 21.

At regularly spaced intervals, suitable reinforcing members 22, whichmay be formed from strap iron as shown, are welded or otherwise securedat one end to the horizontal portion 17 of the frame member 16 of eachside rail 10. The free ends 23 of the reinforcing members 22 extendinwardly through recesses 24 provided in the vertical portion 20 of theframe member 16, and are received within the trough of, and arepreferably welded, but may be otherwise secured, to the cross bows 11which span the side rails 10. It is-noted that the cross bows 11 aretrough-shaped in form and may be stamped economically from sheet metal,but it is to be understood that they may be of any suitable shape andmay be constructed of wood or other material. The trough-shapedstampings, as shown, are better adapted to the resent invention as theyare light in weight and the bottoms thereof provide a suitable seat forthe free ends 23 of the reinforcing members 22.

To lend a neat and more finished appearance to the structure and toconceal the reinforcing members 22, and to stiffen the structure as awhole, a shaping member 25 having, for the most part, a convex outersurface is provided. This member, like the frame member 16, may bestamped in one operation from a single sheet of metal to form the curvedouter surface, previously mentioned, and to form the outer edge with anarrow horizontal portion 26 and an upwardly etitending marginal flangemember 25 is positioned on the frame member 16 with the flange 27thereof abutting against the flange 18 and the inner edge 28 resting onand extending somewhat beyond the abutment portion 29. The edge of theflange 18 is bent back upon itself to clamp the flange 27 therebetweento secure the two principal members I6 and 25 together along their outeredges, and the inner edge 28 is preferably, but may not be, welded orotherwise secured to the abutment 29 of the frame member 16.

A wooden tacking strip 30 is shown as being supported by and secured tothe reinforcing members 22 by suitable wood screws 31, and the innerface thereof resting against the vertical leg 21 and being securedthereto by bolts such as 32 and nuts such as 33, the extending edge 28of the shaping member 25 also being secured to the upper face thereof bynails 34. It is to this wooden strip 30 that the edge of the topcovering 35 is tacked, a molding such as 36 being provided to cover thisedge and to conceal the edge 28 of the shapingmember 25 and its securingnails 34.

It is essential that some means be pro vided for catching the water orrain which runs off the edge of the top. Top construction usedheretofore usually embodied a drip trough secured thereto, which inaddition formed a suitable molding, the common trade name for such aconstruction being a drip molding. The trough 39 formed by the narrowhorizontal portion 26 and the flange 27 at the marginal ed e of theshaping member 25 very successfillly meets this 27. The shaping need andeliminates the expense of providin an additional drip molding.

teferring to Figures 4 and 5, a siderail is provided which is a slightlymodified form of the side rail 10 shown in Figures 2 and 3, but is builtup of essentially the same members, that is, a frame member and ashaping member 51. The frame member 56 is stamped, like the frame member16 of Figure 2, from sheet metal to provide a hori zontal surface 52having an outer marginal flange 52-5, a downwardly projecting door stopportion 54 and an upwardly extending portion 55, but, however, from thispoint on it is shaped differently than the previously mentioned framemember 16, the metal thereof being bent inwardly at right angles to thevertical portion 55 to form the horizontal face 56 and then upwardly toform the vertical face 57 and lastly, flanged inwardly, therebyproviding the horizontal flange portion 58; in other words, it isstepped upwardly and inwardly. her is secured along its outer edge tothe outer edge 53 of the frame member 50 and is curved inwardly andupwardly, providing a drip trough 59 along the outer edge thereofsimilar to the trough 39 of the previously described construction. Theinner edge of the member 51 is stepped downwardly to meet the horizontalportion 56, which step down is obtained by bending down the inner edgeof the member 51 to form the face 60 and then bending it inwardlyto formthe horizontal leg 61. The joining of the two members 50 and 51 in thismanner provides a rectangular shaped trough bounded by the faces 56 and60 and leg 61 which receives a longitudinal wooden tacking piece 62 thatis held in place by suitable wood screws 63 which extend through themetal of the frame member horizontal base portion 56 and the shapingmember horizontal leg 61, into the wood thereof.

Cross bows 64, trough-shaped in form.

are provided with T-shaped stampings 65 which are welded to the insidefaces of the sides and bottom thereof at the extreme ends. The crossbows 64 are then secured to the side rails, the top surfaces thereofbeing preferably welded to the under surface of the frame memberhorizontal flange 58 and the wings 66 the T-shaped stampings 65 beingwelded to the frame member outer vertical face 57, as clearly shown inFigure 5.

The projection 54, formed by bending the metal of the frame memberhorizontal portion 52 downwardly and back, accomplishes the same purposeas the door stop in the previously described side rail. Suitable topmaterial may be assembled to the top construction in the same manner aspreviously described.

It may be seen from the preceding description that a top of lightconstruction The shaping mem- ,to form a drip trough, said di wit anupwardly eztendilgg for a vehicle body may be built very simply and veryeconomically by using practically all sheet metal parts shapedessentially as shown, but it is to be understood that othershapes,'"materials for some of the parts, and securing means other thanthose mentioned, my be used. Formal changes may be made in the specificembodiment of the invention describ without departing from the spiritandsubstance of the broad invention the scope of which is commensurate withthe ap ended claims.

1 hat I claim is:

1. In a top side rail comp a coved sheet metal shaping ember an a sheetmetal frame member secured together along their outer edges, an abutmentortion consisting of a horizontally extending face and a. downwardlyextendi flan a the inner edge thereof formed in ra ly with said framemember the inner of said shaping member ing sec to said horizopitallyextending face and projecting past ear I 2. A to side rail com rising asheet metal frame an shaping me rs secured together along their outeres,-said frame member bei rovided wit an abutment portion consisting ofa horizontally extending face and a downwardly extending marginal flane, the inner edge of said she-pin memher in secured to said horiaontaextending ace and projecting past said ange, and a wooden tacking membersecured to said rojecting portion and to said downextending flan e. avehicle tap a1 a rail, a horizontally sheet met frame member providedflanged outer a coved sheet metal aping member provided with asimilarflan ed outer edge e member being scoured together and shapingmember ,by abutting said flanged ed 0 of said shapin member against saidanged edge of said frame member and bending the metal of one of saidflanged edges over and against the other of said edges, thereby holdingthe same in secured relationship;

4. In a. vehicle top of the permanent ty e having side rails comprisingcoved sheet metal shaping members and horizontally extending framemembers secured together in abuttingi relationship along their outer andges, tacking strips secured to said lnner edges, and members forreinforcing said side rails secured to said frame members and saidtacking strips.

5. A vehicle top having sheet metal side rails comprising cored sheetmetal shaping members and horizontally extendin frame members securedtogether along their inner and outer edges to form hollow construction,cross bows extending between said side rails, and reinforcing membersfor said side rails secured within said hollow structure and projectinginwardly therefrom to provide the sole supports for said cross bows.

6. A vehicle topside rail comprising a sheet metal frame member and asheet metal sha ing member joined together to form a ho ow structure,said frame member comrising at lower horizontal portion bounded eg anupwardly extending wall, the upper ge of said vertically extending wallbeing bent inwardly and then downwardly to form an inverted trough, thebottom of said trough for-min" an abutment for said shaping member anthe inner side thereof forming an abutment for a tacki strip.

A vehicle top side rai comprising a sheet metal frame member and a sheetmetal shaping member joined together to form n hol ow structure, atransverse member secured to said frame member and rojecting inwardlytherefrom to form the so e support for the end of a crossbow, and atacking strip secured to said frame member, said shaping member, andsaid transverse member.

8. A vehicle top side rail comprising a sheet metal frame member and asheet metal sha ing member joined together to form a ho ow structure,said frame member comprising a main horizontal portion terminal mg atits inner ed 0 in a downwardly turned portion reversely bent to form anupwardl extending wall, the upper edge of said wal being bent inwardlyto form a horizontal abutment and then downwardl to form a verticalabutment, a transverselgr extending strap member secured to said mainhorizontal portion and projecting inwardly therefrom through said wall,said shaping member bein secured to and projecting inwardly from saidhorizontal abutment, and a tacking strip secured to said verticalabutment between said inwardl projecting portions of said strap and said5 a ing member.

9. A vehiele top si e rail comprising a sheet metal frame member and asheet metal sha ing member secured together to form n hol ow structure,said frame member comprising a horizontal portion and a vertical wall,and a reinforcing member secured to I said horizontal portion andextending through said vertical well, said reinforci member being steped outwardly of sai vertical wall where )y the projecting portionthereof is above the plane of that port on of T said reinforcing membersecured to said horizontal ortion of said frame member.

10. A ve iclc top side rail comprising a sheet metal frame member and asheet metal shaping member secured together to form a hollow structure,said frame member having a horizontal portion hounded at its inner dgeby an upwardly extending vertical wall, and a transverse ruin forcingmember secured to said horizontal portion and having a I stepped portionprojecting through said vertical wall.

11. A vehicle to side rail comprising; a frame'member an a. shapingmember said Frame memberhuyin'g a horizontal wall and a vertical wall,and a reinforcing member rovided' with a flit portion secured to saidiurizontul wall and a vertical step projecting through said verticalwall to provide a cross-bow support.

12. In a vehicle top, a side rail comprising a sheet metal frame memberand a sheet metal sha'ing member joined together to form a hol iowstructure, a reinforcing merm ber secured at oneendto one of said firstnamed members within said hollow structure and projecting outwardlythrough a wall thereof, and a crossbow supported on the projecting endof said rein orcing member out of contact with said rail.

13. A. side rail for a, vehicle top of the permanent type comprising, aframe member, a shaping member secured thereto adjacent the inner andouter edges thereof to form a hollow structure, and reinforcing memberssecured at one end of said frame member within said hollow structure andhaving the opposite end extending inwardly beyond said frame member.

14. A side tail for a permanent top, comprising a hollow sheet metalstructure having the outer marginal edge thereof shaped to provide aninggrel drip trough and the inner marginal ee edges formmg attachingfaces for it tacking strip, and reinforoi'n members secured at their oneend within structure and having their 0 posite ends extending inwardlybeyond saimrstructure to su poritl a cross-bow out of contact with saidSi 6 re 15. A side rail for a vehicle top of the permanent type oomprisimetal shaping member-(an a stamped sheet metal frame member securedthereto ilong their outer edges, said framemember having :1 horizontalabutment portion for supporta cored sheet 1 ing theinner enduof saidshaping member and having e. vertienl flange extending beyond saidhorizontal portion t-r-zto provide attachin meansfor a tackin strip.

Si no me anaemic,- idlichzgan, US. A., t is 1% day of March, 1926.

PAlJL BRENEMAN.

stepped portion projecting through said vertical wall.

11. A vehicle top side rail comprising a frame'member and a shapingmember, said Frame member having a horizontal Wall and a vertical wall,and a reinforcing member )rovided with a fiat portion secured to saidhorizontal wall and a vertical step projecting through said verticalwall to provide a "ross-bow support.

12. In a vehicle top, a side rail comprising a sheet metal frame memberand a sheet metal shaping member joined together to form a hollowstructure, a reinforcing memher secured at one end to one of said firstnamed members Within said hollow structure and projecting outwardlythrough a Wall thereof, and a cross-bow supported on the projecting endof said reinforcing member out of contact with said rail.

13. A side rail for a vehicle top of the permanent type comprising, aframe member, a shaping member secured thereto adjacent the inner andouter edges thereof to form a hollow structure, and reinforcing memberssecured at one end of said frame member within said hollow structure andhaving the opposite end extending inwardly beyond said frame member.

14. A side rail for a permanent top, comprising a hollow sheet metalstructure having the outer marginal edge thereof shaped to provide anintegral drip trough and the inner marginal free edges forming attachingfaces for a tacking strip, and reinforcing members secured at their oneend Within said structure and having their opposite ends extendinginwardly beyond said structure to support a cross-bow out of contactwith said side rail.

15. A side rail for a vehicle top of the permanent type comprising, acoved sheet metal shaping member, and av stamped sheet metal framemember secured thereto along their outer edges, said frame member havinga horizontal abutment portion for supporting the inner end of saidshaping member and having a vertical flange extending beyond saidhorizontal portion .to provide attaching means for a tacking strip.

Signed by me at Detroit, Michigan, U. S. A., this 12th day of March,1926.

PAUL E. BRENEMAN.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. l, 656, 719.

It is hereby certified that error appears Granted January 17, 1928, to-

PAUL E. BRENEMAN.

in the printed specification of. the

above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 1, line 29,for the word "press" read"'present"; page 4, "to"; and that the saidLetters Patent should be read w line 26, claim 13, for the word "of"read ith these corrections therein that the same may conform to therecord of the case in the Patent Off ice.

Signed and sealed this 14th day of February, A. D. 1928.

Seal.

M. J. Moore, ,Acting Gommissionerof Patents.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 1,656,719. Granted January 17,1928, to

PAUL E. BRENEMAN.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specificationof the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 1,line 29, for the word "press" read "present"; page 4, line 26, claim 13,for the word "of" read "to"; and that the said Letters Patent should beread with these corrections therein that the same may conform to therecord of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 14th day of February, A. D. 1928.

M. J. Moore, Seal. Acting Commissioner-of Patents.

